Falling Snow
by aGreatLoudThump
Summary: To become the next head of the Yotsuba, I must bury my heart under falling snow...
1. Chapter 1

My heels clicked as I strode down the sidewalk. There was no sound of anyone following behind me.

Finally-almost there. I could see the tall tower with the school emblem-a pointed, eight petaled flower-rising up beyond the outer wall. It was a magnificent sight, befitting the school that held the title "The Highest." Unconsciously, I quickened my pace, eager to arrive at the auditorium so that I could practice my speech.

Or so I told myself.

Despite the lack of sound, I knew that someone was following me. Although I could not detect his presence in the slightest, I knew that he was trailing in my wake, shortening his strides to match my pace, always exactly three steps behind.

Of course, it was only natural that this person should be there. If he was not by my side, then where would he be?

So why does his presence bother me so much...?

Shaking off these thoughts, I focused on the task ahead. Right now, I should be thinking of how best to please my upperclassmen and make a favorable impression on my teachers, not mulling over why I feel uncomfortable in the presence of my own bodyguard.

...Yes, I have a bodyguard. Although, in my family we use the term "Guardian" to refer to these individuals. The difference being that a bodyguard protects so that he can eat, while a Guardian eats so that he can protect. Basically, a Guardian's whole life is devoted to protecting their principle, and they do not even have the option to quit. Aside from dying, the only way for a Guardian to be relived of their duties is if their principle decides to let them leave.

Again, I shook my head. Why was I thinking of such things? I should be focusing on my upcoming speech.

Every year, only two hundred students were accepted into this prestigious school out of the hundreds who applied and took the exam. And then, from among them, the top entrant was selected to be the Freshman Representative and give a speech at the school's opening ceremony. It was like being named valedictorian on the first day of school.

As the one granted this honor, I was obligated to set the tone for the new students. And I couldn't do that if I was constantly concerned over someone who was, if I spoke cruelly, just a tool to be used and then thrown away.

Straightening my back, I strode through the front gates of the National Magic University affiliated First High School, completely ignoring the looks I received from the upperclassmen who were already there. I have often been told that I possess a remarkable beauty, that even actresses in the entertainment industry cannot rival. While this sometimes makes it easier for me to get what I want, it is infinitely more troublesome in all other regards. I have enough false flattery heaped upon me because of my abilities and status without adding my looks into the mix.

After entering the grounds and finding a secluded spot where no one was around, I finally turned to my 'shadow,' who had followed me all the way here. "I'm going to the auditorium," I informed him. "You probably won't be able to follow me in. You should wait here until the ceremony starts."

He bowed to me. "As you wish, Ojou-sama," he said simply. His face and voice were, as usual, without expression. I could never tell what this person was thinking.

Squashing down my irritation, I turned on my heel and left.

—❊❅❄❅❊—

The assembly was long and tedious, but I refrained from fidgeting in my chair. After all, as a participant of the ceremony, not to mention someone who was in full view up on stage, manners dictated that I sit composedly and wait for my turn to speak. The event was being recorded for posterity, and I would not be remembered as the Freshman Rep who couldn't even sit patiently through the Principal's speech.

Finally, it was my turn. I stood up, feeling all eyes on me, and strode to the podium. There was a collective intake of breath as the lights struck my visage fully for the first time. Ignoring it as usual, I commenced my speech.

"I thank you for your words of welcome," I began. "Representing the freshman, I am proud to be a member of First High School. Fellow students, we should all study hard together, and work towards improving ourselves in all aspects..."

As I continued my speech, I had to consciously stop myself from looking for that person in the crowd. Of course, he would be there. He had to be. After all, my Guardian was an incoming freshman as well.

I know it may be strange to think that the one entrusted with defending my life was only a high school student, but when I consider that this person was assigned to protect me at the tender age of six, it seems less strange, if only by comparison. At the time, I myself was only five, so perhaps another reason this seems normal to me is that it has been going on for so long it would seem stranger not to have him by my side.

As I finished my speech, thunderous applause rang out. In the midst of it all, I caught sight of one head that was not turned my way. A boy in one of the back rows, while still applauding, was too busy conversing with the girls next to him to even look at me. A rare occurrence, almost to the point of being unique. I was not overly offended, since I knew that the reason I was receiving so much attention in the first place was primarily because of my looks, but I was still a little annoyed.

As the boy turned back around, I realized to my shock that he was my usually silent and stoic Guardian. The slight expression I thought I saw on his face melted away as soon as our eyes met. But he had just been talking, if not animatedly, then at least politely with those other girls. Why would he talk so willingly with them, but never with me...?

Suddenly flustered, I wondered irritatedly if these girls were really so interesting. Craning my neck slightly to see over the crowds, I caught sight of their faces. One had shocking, vibrant red hair matched with a beautiful face that had traces of European ancestry, at least from what I could see from so far away. The other, surprisingly, wore glasses and was rather cute.

Ah, please do not misunderstand me. I do not mean that she was cute in spite of her glasses, but rather that it was rare for anyone to wear glasses in this day and age. I wondered if it was a fashion statement or something...

Well, even if it was, it was no business of mine. Forcibly dragging my attention away from this scene and any emotions it may have evoked, I turned to the approaching Student Council President, Mayumi Saegusa.

One could tell from her name that she was a member of the Ten Master Clans. Unsurprisingly, she was also in a position of authority over the student body. Since First High School was a proponent of student autonomy, her position as President of the Student Council carried a surprising amount of weight. As our eyes locked, she smiled graciously at me, and I returned her smile without any hesitation.

"That was quite the speech," she congratulated me. "I especially liked the parts where you talked about everyone working together, and how you didn't place a lot of emphasis on magical ability."

I stiffened. "Magical ability is not nearly as important as how magic is utilized." That was one lesson I had taken to heart after my Guardian had repeatedly beaten me in mock combat despite an overwhelming inferiority in all things related to magic.

However, not everyone had this kind of experience under their belts and many magicians seemed to assume that magic was an end, as opposed to a means. As I was not sure what President Saegusa believed, I would have to tread cautiously here.

But she only continued to smile, and said earnestly, "No, I wasn't trying to point any fingers. Its actually the opposite. In fact, the Student Council is looking for-"

But at that moment we were rudely interrupted by another student. By the looks of him, he was another first year. Barging straight up to us, he apologized hastily to President Saegusa and then turned to me. "You were amazing up there," he exclaimed. "As expected of the Freshman Rep, you're pretty and smart as well. Fitting the title of bloom, you're like a flower budding amongst us the highest."

He continued to rave on about my looks and skills, while I smiled and nodded and did my best to tune him out. I hate this kind of false flattery that is only used to cover up someone's jealousy or get them something they want.

However, one thing he'd said did get my attention, if only for the wrong reasons. He'd called me a bloom, referring to the eight-petaled flower that was emblazoned on the left chest area of my jacket. It was the emblem of our school, so naturally it wouldn't be strange for it to be on my school uniform.

What was strange was that not all the students had it on their uniforms. Of the two hundred students that were accepted every year, the top hundred were called course one students, and had the emblem on their uniforms. They also received personal instruction from the very limited number of magic instructors. On the other hand, the bottom hundred entrants were course two students who could not receive instruction, and also did not bear the eight-petaled flower on their uniforms.

The slang phrases used to refer to these two groups were "bloom" and "weed" due to the presence or lack of a flower. The term "weed" was actually considered derogatory and was banned at this school, or so I had heard. While this kind of discrimination bothered me, I was not going to make a big deal out of it on my first day, especially because I was being called a bloom, which was not considered offensive.

However, I couldn't help but imagine what my Guardian would feel if he were called a weed. Yes, that person was a second course student. Why would someone weaker than me be assigned to protect me, you ask? I often wondered that myself. Still, his combat prowess clearly exceeded mine, so perhaps it wan't that much of a misplaced assignment.

Once more shaking these thoughts from my head, I stared out over the crowd of people who had joined that first year student in congratulating me. Ardently wishing to be somewhere else, I half turned towards the Student Council President.

Seeing my look and taking pity on me, she came over at once and said, "Aren't you supposed to go back with your brother? You shouldn't keep him waiting."

While her words surprised me and I rather wished she had come up with some other excuse, I still knew a way out when I saw one. Swallowing and nodding, I said, "That's right!" Pasting a smile on my face, I turned to the people around me and said, "Excuse me, but I really do have to go." And with that, I followed the president out.

We walked a little ways in silence (depressingly, I noticed that my admirers seemed to be following a little ways away), but eventually my curiosity won out and I had to ask. "Excuse me," I repeated, "but how did you know that my brother was waiting for me?"

"Oh," she laughed, "I met him outside. I wanted to talk to him because he's been quite the hot topic among the teachers lately."

I wondered if that was because of the fact that even though he was the elder brother of the Freshman Rep, he flat out couldn't use any magic. Thinking about that, I politely kept quiet.

"Yep," President Saegusa continued, oblivious to my thoughts, "it really is amazing, isn't it? On the written portion of the exam, he got the highest score in the history of First High School! Especially in the subjects of Magic Engineering and Magic Theory, he got a perfect score for both! And he had an overall average of ninety-six percent... Shiba-san is amazing, but your brother is also amazing! Eh, Shiba-san, what's wrong?" she added, peering up at my suddenly pale face.

"It's nothing," I said as calmly as I could. I congratulated myself for not stuttering. This had come as a complete shock to me, so naturally I would be a little rattled, but at least I had managed to cover it up slightly.

I distracted myself from thinking about what the president had said with these self-congratulatory thoughts. The president seemed to realize she had hit a nerve, and chose to remain quiet for the rest of our walk. However, her words kept echoing in the back of my mind regardless.

_Highest score in the history of First High School... Perfect score in Magic Engineering and Magic Theory... Ninety-six percent average..._

I had always known that person was good at studying. In fact, in terms of paper grades all throughout our elementary and middle school years, he easily dominated the field no matter how hard I tried. However, I had always thought that I would be better at magic related tests...

The next thing I knew, we were outside and approaching a familiar figure. My Guardian stood off to the side, talking with the two girls he'd been sitting next to in the auditorium. Feeling a sudden flare of annoyance, I stalked forward and leveled a withering glare at him.

"How interesting, are you going on dates with your classmates already?"

I know that this is an unfair charge. I know that I am being rude and incorrigible towards this person, to say nothing of how I was treating the two girls beside him. But the accumulated stress from the speech and what happened after needed an outlet, and before I knew it I was taking it out on this person.

For a moment I thought I saw confusion pass across his face like a ripple across a still pond. Then he said, "No, we were just chatting with each other while we waited. These two are going to be in the same class as me..."

"Hi!" said the girl with the red hair enthusiastically. "I'm Erika Chiba. It's nice to meet you."

"I'm Mizuki Shibata," the girl with the glasses added shyly. "It's a pleasure."

"Hello," I replied. "I'm Miyuki Shiba. And I'm sorry for saying weird things," I added in apology, already feeling guilty for losing my cool.

"No biggie," said Erika. "Hey, do you mind if I call you Miyuki?"

"...Sure," I said after a moment of hesitation. Since we were in different classes it seemed unlikely that we would converse that often, but I did not want to appear rude in front of these girls any more than I already had. "May I call you Erika?" Erika gave her blessing to this, and Mizuki chimed in that I could call her by her first name as well.

"You know, when Tatsuya said he was waiting for someone, I didn't think he meant the Freshman Rep herself," Erika continued in a vaguely surprised tone. As I tried to cover my amazement that she was already referring to my Guardian by my first name, she added, "So what's the relationship between you two?"

Apparently, Erika was the kind of girl who was very forward with people she had just met. As I tried to come up with a response, Mizuki muttered, "Eh? I thought it was obvious. Aren't you two siblings?"

After a stunned silence wherein the three of us gazed unblinkingly at Mizuki, causing her to blush beet red, Erika suddenly snapped her gaze from him to me and back. "Oh," she said, "I see. Now that I look closely, you do kind of resemble one another. Huh. You have a good eye, Mizuki."

Mizuki looked vaguely uncomfortable at this remark. Under ordinary circumstances I would have wondered why, but right now I was too busy feeling uncomfortable myself.

Yes, it was true. My Guardian, who had scored far higher than me in the written test but far lower in the practical exam, who was labeled by the school elite as a "weed" and called me "Ojou-sama", and who was meant to act as a human shield and throw his life away for mine if necessary was also-

-my older brother.

* * *

**Well, who were you expecting her Guardian to be? XD**

**This idea has been bugging me ever since I read Reminiscence, so I decided to write a chapter about it, and it turned out well enough that I wanted to put it up here and see what everybody else thought. So what do you think? *hint*Review*hint***

**I'm planning on continuing this (eventually), but there's not going to be any set release schedule because I'm currently in the middle of writing another multi-chapter fanfic which DOES have a schedule (that I am desperately trying to keep) so I'll probably only write for this when I have time until that one's over. But I won't forget about this story. Promise. **

**Anyway, thanks for reading my little experiment. Hope you enjoyed it!**


	2. Chapter 2

Dinner that night was awkward, to say the least. As my Guardian (and older brother) Ani gathered up the dishes and dumped them into the sink for the HAR to take care of, I retired to my room. Without bothering to undress I stretched out on my bed on top of the covers, my head a swirling amalgam of thoughts and emotions. I allowed myself to sift through my memories of the day, knowing I would never get a good night's sleep if I didn't.

—❊❅❄❅❊—

After Mizuki blew the cover off of our relationship, a lot of people seemed surprised, mostly those from the course one cohort who had trailed after the president and I. They started muttering disparaging things, snickering over how embarrassing it must be to have entered the same school in the same year.

I myself had never thought of our situation as embarrassing. Uncomfortable, yes. But I could not be embarrassed by Ani, no matter what happened. There was just something about him...

As I gazed at him, Ani unexpectedly spoke. "Miyuki, don't you have business with the student council?"

As I tried to suppress the sudden buzzing feeling I had whenever he said my name, Mayumi spoke up. "It's fine," she said. "We can talk another day. I'm just here to say hello."

"But president-" another young man tried to argue. She, however, was already walking off. Feeling relieved that I would not have to be around those people that could insult Ani and praise me in the same breath, I turned to leave. But as I did, I caught the young man who had argued against Mayumi's decision glaring at Ani. Apparently he thought Ani was at fault for disrupting their plans, although I was slightly confused as to why he had been singled out to take the blame. After a moment, the young man turned to follow the president along with the others, and I was left alone with the girls. And Ani.

I was suddenly glad the girls were here to act as a buffer, because I didn't seem able to look Ani in the eye at the moment. I had damaged his reputation in front of nearly everyone of importance at our school, on the very first day. I wasn't quite sure what to say.

However, Erika apparently felt no such hesitation. "Want to go get some cake?" she asked brightly, as if none of that had just happened.

Clearly, her invitation extended to all of us. For my part, I was not used to going on social outings with Ani. In fact, I could barely remember socializing in public with him, ever. I was honestly nervous about having to go somewhere and pretend to be his little sister.

...Pretend? I _was_ his little sister. Even if I never acted like it.

Something squirmed in my gut. Stiffening my back, I looked over at Erika and said, "Sure, I'd love to get something to eat." I crafted a perfect false smile and placed it carefully on my face.

"Great," she answered. "Let's go."

As we set off, I glanced over at Ani. He was walking beside me instead of behind me in this instance, mostly to convey the idea that we were normal siblings. We weren't, but it was important to keep up the charade.

As I was staring at him, Ani turned and looked back at me. No doubt it was because I had been peering at him for so long. As our eyes met, he raised an eyebrow as if to say, what is it?

Suddenly uncomfortable, I glared at him for a brief moment before lowering my eyes. Once again, I was blaming him for something that wasn't his fault. I could feel his gaze move away after a moment, and a strange feeling of relief mixed with disappointment assailed me.

We reached the cafe soon after, where the girls and I talked. Ani was silent for the most part, only speaking when spoken to. This was perfectly in keeping with the social status of a Guardian.

That having been said, he also bought himself a coffee in addition to my cake (which he insisted on paying for), and sat with us at the table as an equal. This was perfectly in keeping with his status as my older brother. Sometimes I hated this juxtaposition, this melding of who he was and who he ought to be.

...Even though, at times, I was not sure which identity was which.

Shaking my head to clear it from distraction, I apologized to Erika and asked her to repeat the question she'd just asked.

—❊❅❄❅❊—

Now, as I lay here in my room thinking about the day's activities, there came a knock at the door. Knowing there was only one person it could be, I sat up on the bed and straightened the modest skirt I was wearing. Just because I was in the privacy of my own home didn't mean that I had to dress inappropriately. After I granted permission to enter, that person came in.

"Would you like something to drink?" he asked politely. I was not surprised by his query. He usually came up to my room around this time and asked that question.

I nodded. "Yes, some tea would be lovely," I answered. He nodded, and went downstairs to prepare it. I followed after him and settled myself on the couch to wait.

As I watched Ani making the tea, it occurred to me, not for the first time, how unusual it was that he made it by hand, even going so far as to use tea leaves instead of something more conventional like teabags. Most people would have just left it to the HAR, but not Ani. I have never asked him about it before, but I assume it is a hobby.

Ani, quick and efficient as always, brought the tea over even as I mused. Gracefully accepting a cup, I lifted it to my lips and took a sip.

Delicious. Ani's tea was always perfectly brewed, with just the right amount of sugar added to take out the bitterness without overwhelming the taste.

Suddenly, I frowned and glanced up to where Ani had seated himself, certain that he had just been watching me. But when I looked, he was sitting there enjoying his own cup of black tea, eyes downcast.

I frowned again, even more deeply this time. Sometimes I have the feeling that Ani is watching me even when I can clearly see that he is not. It usually makes me feel unnerved, but also strangely protected.

Shying away from those thoughts and feelings I could not comprehend, I cast about for a subject that Ani and I could discuss. I wanted to distract myself from my earlier thoughts, but also break the awkward silence that had fallen over us, as it always did when it was just the two of us.

(Although, it was possible that I was the only one who felt it was awkward. Ani never said anything about it, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking just from his expression.)

Perhaps we could talk about those girls we met, I thought. No, that might just make things more awkward when I considered his terse behavior during our time in the cafe. Hmmm... What about the school entrance ceremony? But I almost immediately rejected that prospect. When I thought about how I had damaged his reputation in front of our classmates and those seniors... Any topic was better than that, I decided.

But that still didn't give me any ideas on what to say. I was about to give it up and let the silence endure, but I happened to glance down at my teacup, half empty at this point, and was suddenly struck by an idea. Making tea by hand was a strange hobby, but it wasn't the only hobby he had.

"How is your work with CADs going?" I blurted out, then immediately blushed. No doubt Ani found this sudden question surprising, and perhaps a little strange.

There was a brief moment of silence, then a clink as Ani placed his teacup on his saucer. I peered up at him from under my bangs, not quite knowing what to expect. At first glance Ani's expression seemed as neutral as ever, but I thought I could detect a hint of surprise underneath his mask-like face.

"It's going well," he responded after a moment. "Why do you ask?"

Dumbfounded, I could not think of anything to say. I hadn't really thought that far ahead. Suddenly, engaging Ani in conversation didn't seem like a very good idea anymore.

"Umm, because I was just...curious." What a terrible excuse! I half expected him to scoff at this - I fact, if this was anyone else, I would have been certain of it. With baited breath, unaware of why I was so uneasy, I waited for his response.

For a moment, nothing happened. And then, to my immense surprise, Ani began to speak. "I'm currently working on a rather significant project, but I've hit a roadblock. I think I'm close to cracking the problem, though."

I nodded rapidly. "That's good. That's great." I paused, unsure of what I was saying or supposed to say. "Umm..."

"May I tell you what I'm working on?" Ani asked politely after I had awkwardly trailed off.

"Oh. Sure," I responded. Of course, that was the natural thing to ask. Why could I never behave normally around this person?

Ani nodded once. "I'm working the Actualization of Generalized Flying-Type Magic," he said matter-of-factly.

I gaped at him. Did he just say...? No, surely this was some kind of joke. But since when had that person ever had a sense of humor?

So he wasn't joking, then. Still, to be tackling one of the Three Great Puzzles of Weight Systematic Magic...did he really have such confidence in his skills?

I worried for a moment that this undertaking might prove too advanced for Ani, and that he should perhaps embark on a less ambitious project. Then I wondered why I was worrying. Why should I care if Ani's hopes were dashed?

I swallowed painfully, and managed to ask, "Why are you trying to do something so difficult?"

Ani blinked, then replied, "I believe it is important for the future of magicians in society."

I frowned, unable to comprehend his chain of logic. But before I could ask for clarification, another thought occurred to me. He'd said earlier that he'd hit a roadblock, but he was getting close to a solution. Did that mean...

No, surely it couldn't. There was no way that Ani, however intelligent, possessed the ability to actualize Flying-Type magic...no matter how much better he did during the written exam than I did. I mean, it wasn't called one of the Three Great Puzzles of Weight Systematic Magic for nothing.

Really, who did he think he was, Taurus Silver?

Scoffing at the idea, I asked, "So, how close are you to completing this project?" Perhaps I should not have been so disdainful, but I simply couldn't help myself.

Ani considered this for a moment, then said, "If all goes according to plan and I overcome my current difficulties, then I should have a prototype up and running within six months."

This answer shocked me. Did he really think he could do it? Was he actually that close to developing Generalized Flying-Type Magic? Looking at his expressionless face, I honestly couldn't be sure.

"I-I see," I stammered. "Umm, that's...good news, I suppose."

"Would you like to help me test it out when it's completed?" Ani asked quietly.

"Ah, sure, I'd love to help..." I couldn't do anything else but agree. Because no matter how ludicrous it sounded, there was something about the way Ani had said he'd be done in six months that made me believe that he'd be done in six months.

I made no further attempts to engage him in conversation. We finished our tea in silence, and Ani dutifully collected our empty cups and brought them over to the sink.

—❊❅❄❅❊—

The next day I rose early and made breakfast. I do not usually do this sort of thing, but I owed it to Kokonoe-sensei to let him down as gracefully as possible.

Ani was surprised that I was up before him. He was dressed as usual in his training clothes, preparing for his early-morning sparring session with sensei. I explained that I wanted to go with him to tell sensei that I would not be attending morning training from now on, and the reasons why. Ani only nodded, and we set off.

After we arrived Ani began his training regimen. I tried not to stare as he took on multiple highly trained opponents without flinching. He moved with such economy and grace, was it any wonder he was considered a prodigy?

While I was gazing at him, sensei took the opportunity to sneak up behind me. (I was NOT so distracted by Ani's grace that I failed to notice him; its just that sensei is that good at sneaking up on people. Really.) He began complimenting my uniform in a rather shameless way, and just when I was about to excuse myself out of embarrassment, Ani suddenly attacked him from behind. While sensei was successfully able to block him, it also distracted him from flattering me, something for which I was grateful.

A thought struck me. Did Ani do that just to help me out? No, that was highly unlikely. He had no obligation to shield me from the attentions of others unless they were hostile. Still, his timing was remarkable.

After Ani and sensei had finished sparring, I walked up and offered them both breakfast. Contrary to the popular belief in my middle school days, I could make my own food. I was not such a princess that even this had to be done for me.

While we were eating, sensei asked why I was there.

"It's because I wanted to tell you in person that I will no longer be attending morning training," I told him.

Eyeing my uniform, sensei nodded. "I see," he commented. "It's because you've started high school, right?" When I nodded, his eyes lit up. "Oh, that's fine. Since you're continuing your education, and looking so good, so _moe_ while doing it-"

"Master," Ani interrupted, "please try to remember that you are a monk."

"Ah, yes," he sighed. "There is that..." He sounded disappointed.

—❊❅❄❅❊—

After Ani's training was over we returned to our house. We had been living here together for about six months, ever since our mother died. She had finally succumbed to complications due to the strain caused by overuse of magic. I had been very close to her, and I missed her terribly.

Ani didn't seem to miss her at all. They had never been close, and she had always treated him like a servant rather than a son. Sometimes I wondered wether they loved each other at all.

Ani also did not seem to get along with our father, although here I was less sure of the cause. I knew why _I _didn't like him, though.

Technically this house was our father's, but he rarely came here anymore. Instead, he rented an apartment downtown that was close to his business offices. He lived there in happiness with his new wife, whom he had married less than six months after our mother's death. This was scandalous enough, but it was quickly revealed that my new step-mother had been his mistress even while he was still married to our mother. These facts combined had caused significant damage to an already strained relationship, and I was glad we were not all forced to live together.

Still, that did not mean I was entirely satisfied with this arrangement. For one thing, I still had to deal with Ani. Of course, he was my Guardian, so it was only natural that he would have to live with me. That didn't mean I had to like it, however. It's not that I don't like Ani, it's just that I don't know how to deal with him. I never know what he's thinking, or what I should say, or if I should say anything at all.

As we left for school, I debated on whether or not I should tell him of father's call. I didn't even know if he'd care, but I still had this vague feeling that he had the right to know. But, it might open old wounds...

And so my mind spun in circles as we boarded one of the two-person "cabinets" at the train station and went on our way to school.

"Umm..." I finally decided that I should speak. Perhaps it was selfish, but I wanted to see how he would react. I cleared my throat. "I received a phone call from those people."

Ani frowned faintly. "By those people, do you mean our father?"

"Yes," I said shortly. "He called me to congratulate me on my enrollment. Did he...?"

"No," came the toneless reply. "He has not contacted me recently outside of work-related matters."

I clenched the hem of my skirt between my fingers. That man...! No matter what, he should at least send an e-mail to his only son to congratulate him! Anger coursed through me, and the windows started turning opaque. It took me a moment to realize that they were frosting over.

Before I could react, Ani grabbed my hand and held it, forcing the psions back inside my body. I felt a strange tingling sensation as they retreated back into me.

Embarrassed, I avoided looking at him by staring out the now defrosting window. I wondered why I had gotten so upset. It must be because our father had disappointed me yet again. Yes, it definitely didn't have anything to do with Ani. After all, it was partly my brother's fault that I lost control of my magic like this, right? So there's no way I would be enraged on his behalf.

Nodding to myself, I turned to look at Ani again. He stared at me steadily, and then said "Looks like you're fine now." And he turned to look out the front again.

That should have been the end of it. But for some reason, I couldn't let the subject drop. "It's a natural thing for a fifteen-year-old to continue studying. Really, I don't see why he should object."

"It really can't be helped, since I turned down his offer to work at the company full-time so that I could attend high-school."

I bit my lip. Why would our father be so adamant that Ani to work full-time anyway? He wasn't an invaluable asset to the company. He was only a beta-tester...

While I mused, we arrived at the station closest to school. As we exited the cabinet, Ani held out his hand to help me out, like a knight helping a lady out of her carriage. Blushing at the thought, I let go of his hand as quickly as possible. "Let's go," I said imperiously, trying to disguise my embarrassment.

I walked off without waiting for him. Ani followed obediently, exactly three steps behind.

* * *

**So, here's chapter two. I'm glad people seem to be enjoying this. Especially since it started out as some random thing I had to write just to get it out of my head.**

**On a related note, someone I know in real life who reads my fanfiction has mentioned that I tend to shift tenses when I write (i.e. between past and present). **

**…And he is absolutely right. It's not the first time this has been pointed out to me. D: It's the biggest grammatical problem I have with my writing, and all I can say is, I'm trying to fix it. I apologize to any readers who find it annoying. **

**One last thing. I know Miya Shiba died earlier than that in the novels. (More than six months ago.) But I needed a reason for them to remain distant for all these extra years, and their mother's active interference was the best reason I could come up with. Also, it gives Miyuki more raw emotion to work with, since she's lost someone close to her so recently...**


End file.
